uncle; polite address for elder male
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesnoun
father's older brother; uncle
informalUsed in informal spoken Chinese to refer to one's father's elder brother.
Wǒ我
de的
èr二
bó伯
bo伯
shì是
yī一
míng名
tuì退
xiū休
jiào教
shī师
。
My second uncle is a retired teacher.
Zhāng张
bó伯
bo伯
jīng经
cháng常
gěi给
wǒ我
men们
jiǎng讲
xiǎo小
shí时
hou候
de的
gù故
shi事
。
Uncle Zhang often tells us stories from his childhood.
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Lín邻
jū居
bó伯
bo伯
sòng送
gěi给
wǒ我
yī一
běn本
màn漫
huà画
shū书
。
The neighbor uncle gave me a comic book as a gift.
Zhōu周
mò末
wǒ我
huì会
qù去
èr二
bó伯
bo伯
jiā家
chī吃
fàn饭
。
I will go to my second uncle's house for dinner on the weekend.
Lǐ李
bó伯
bo伯
shì是
wǒ我
men们
xiǎo小
qū区
de的
rè热
xīn心
rén人
。
Uncle Li is a warm-hearted person in our community.
noun
polite address for elder male stranger
informalCan be used to politely address any older man one does not know well, similar to "sir" in English but more casual.
Bó伯
bo伯
，
qǐng请
wèn问
dì地
tiě铁
zhàn站
zài在
nǎ哪
lǐ里
？
Sir, could you tell me where the subway station is?
Má麻
fan烦
bó伯
bo伯
bāng帮
wǒ我
tái抬
yī一
xià下
zhè这
ge个
xiāng箱
zi子
。
Could you help me carry this box, sir?